AlexWarrior is a genius!

[Matthew_T]

http://alexwarrior.cc/

Watch the second video down.

I think that is awsome and cannot wait for him to perfect it and get offers from large technological companies.
The charts are a very nice touch as well as you can see what time the overtake occurred and then go to the video where you can see the overtake.

I do agree with him that both the battery pack and the handlebar display need to be scaled down a bit but that shouldnt be a major problem (get a smaller box).


This thread is for discussions on the usefulness of this idea and possible outcomes of it might be.

 

[gaz]

Aye.. he is pretty handy with the electronics.

 

[snorri]

I'm impressed!
It is one of the tidiest prototypes I've seen, now that you know it actually works, miniaturisation should be relatively straightforward.
I was a little confused by the video at first, then I realised it had been filmed in a 'drive on the right' country.

 

[Alexwarrior]

Lol you guys are too kind! Final version 1 of the handlebar display is done, although it's sadly still big and ugly! I'm hoping something like the WIMM (http://www.wimm.com/) comes down in price and makes it an affordable option for something like this. Or something like the little displays that many E-bikes use. It actually works perfectly fine without the handlebar display, but having that instant feedback can be educational. I'm guessing that in a few years in the future, we'll all be using Android-based cycle computers and there will be apps for them, and this would just be another app for it.

The circuit for the sensor itself is being made right now and I should get it from the factory in a few weeks. Luckily it now uses just two AA batteries instead of that giant 12V. Battery life should be 20 hours or so. Unlike the video cameras, storage is not really an issue - a single 2GB microSD card would probably take years of average riding to fill up

I hope get it eventually to the point that it isn't so ugly that I'm embarrassed to be seen using it, lol.

 

[Matthew_T]

The circuit for the sensor itself is being made right now and I should get it from the factory in a few weeks. Luckily it now uses just two AA batteries instead of that giant 12V. Battery life should be 20 hours or so. Unlike the video cameras, storage is not really an issue - a single 2GB microSD card would probably take years of average riding to fill up

WOW!

If that is true then I will be the first one preordering. I do think that the immediate feedback display could be an extra that people could order but i cannot see that hitting it off (takes up a little too much room). If you could get it to the stage where you could stamp it on the screen of any camera then I think you might be on to a winner their.

I am absolutely jumping out of my bed just reading this. I didnt know it was so close to completion. I was expecting it to be about 5/10 years until we saw something remotely close to it on the market.
And you are telling us it could be as soon as a next few years! I am genuinely going to be sick with excitement!

 

[gaz]

If you could get it to the stage where you could stamp it on the screen of any camera then I think you might be on to a winner their.

How exactly would you expect it to be stamped? If you mean so it's automatically put on, then that would mean making or modifying a camera heavily to get that.
Where as taking the data and putting it on the video afterwards is relatively easily.

 

[Alexwarrior]

Much easier to modify the video afterwards. The only challenge is synchronizing the video with the sensor data. I did that in my demo by showing a millisecond timer count on the handlebar display. Then I just have to video a few frames of that and type in the millisecond timer value along with the corresponding time on the playback bar in the movie player app on the computer. Alternatively, I've thought about having the sensor beep at exactly 5.000 seconds into the sensor data logging process. Then you just listen for the start of the beep in the video and type in the time index of your movie player playback bar, or heck even a software program could automatically listen for the beep, and sync up the sensor data with the video frames.

 

[downfader]

Welcome to the forums, Alex!

 

[Bicycle]

Welcome to the forum Mr Warrior,

I too have been doing some modest work on this complex and potentially vexing topic. I don't want to go into too much detail yet, as things are at an early stage with the Patent Office. The device I'm working on doesn't need mounting and early tests show a fairly good level of accuracy.

The core concept is a nerve-activated audible indicator of a traffic pass whose proximity may compromise further enjoyment of the mortal coil. The audible indicator remains silent when passes are safe or there is no contact.

When a passing vehicle comes a little too close, the audible indicator sounds thus: "I say!" or "Crikey!"

When there is contact, there are several audible alarms, one of which is "Ouch!"

If contact is significant or catastrophic, the sound of a bicycle being twisted and/or mangled is played over and above any vocal input.

Once I've sorted things out with the Patent Office, I intend to make the system available to all road users, much as Volvo (or was it SAAB) did with the three-point seatbelt.

I do this work for my love of all humanity and do not seek gratitude or approval from those who might benefit.

 

[400bhp]

:snigger:

 

[fossyant]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz More crap ! And something to tell you how close the car was - why - it's already happened. If you can thump it, it's too close. Simples

 

[Dan_h]

It looks like a fairly cool gadget, but what is the purpose? I kind of agree with fossyant, what difference does it make if you know a car passed you 2ft or 3ft away, or event 6 inches (I assume that you don't need a device to tell you if the car actually hits you!). The information may be a bit interesting but what are you going to do with it?

 

[Jezston]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz More crap ! And something to tell you how close the car was - why - it's already happened. If you can thump it, it's too close. Simples

It's an interesting gadget that could be useful in compiling data for research, or in places where they have specific laws about passing cyclists and distance. Or if you are just interested in that kind of thing.

Maybe it won't be of any use to you. It probably won't be of any use to me, either. Just because of that there's no need to give the guy grief especially after he just joined the forum to answer questions.

 

[fossyant]

It's something else to distract from the fact that we should be enjoying cycling. I don't need a gadget to tell me how close a car is - if it's too close I'll thump it, if way to close, I've usually been knocked off.

Anyway it's more crap to strap to a bike !

 

[BentMikey]

I like it, and I'll defo get one. It's a great way to tell exactly how close a pass was, and therefore to have some objective evidence as to how crap the driving by a particular driver was.